Some of the world's best food traditions come from making do with what's at hand. In Afghanistan's Bamiyan province, that means khuliki — a slow-cooking method where the oven itself is built from scratch, then demolished over the meal while it finishes cooking under a mound of hot earth.

The setup is wonderfully low-tech. Clay stones or tablets are arranged in a circle with gaps left between them so air can circulate; once lit, the fire keeps itself going and burns ferociously hot inside. Kindling — dry sticks, branches, leaves and straw — is packed into the base and lit, with more twigs fed in through the top as it roars.

Then comes the food. Pretty much anything works, but in potato-rich Bamiyan the classic choice is obvious: a seven-kilogram bag of local potatoes costs barely over two dollars, making this one of the most economical feasts you'll ever join. A second oven might hold chicken marinated in mint, garlic and cardamom, double-wrapped in foil to keep the dirt out.

Here's the part that surprises most visitors: after a stretch in the open fire, the cook takes a shovel and smashes the clay tablets until they crumble, collapsing the whole oven into a mound. The food keeps cooking under the trapped heat while everyone adjourns to the riverbank for tea. About forty minutes later, it's a dig-for-dinner operation — potatoes brushed clean, foil parcels dusted off — and the meal is eaten riverside with chai, doh and naan.

Khuliki began as a practical solution for shepherds and farmers who couldn't be bothered lugging heavy cooking pots across the countryside. Because building the oven takes real time and effort, though, it's evolved into something more: a communal ritual reserved for special occasions and honoured guests. If a village invites you to one, you're being treated well.

For travellers, this is exactly the kind of experience that makes Bamiyan worth the trip beyond its famous Buddha niches and lakes. Tour operators including Young Pioneer Tours run multiple Afghanistan departures each year — spring trips to Kandahar, Buzkashi spectating, a women's-only tour in November, and autumn visits to Bamiyan where khuliki features. It's not a destination for everyone, and security conditions should always be checked carefully before booking. But for adventurous eaters, few meals come with a better story than one cooked in an oven that gets flattened before you eat.